Grief is a painful process that we can experience when faced with a loss, whether it be of a loved one, a love relationship, work, etc. , and affects the person who suffers it both on a psychological and behavioural level. In some cases, the suffering and the inability to accept the situation is such that it is necessary to go to psychological therapy to recover well-being.

Bereavement psychotherapy is a type of psychological therapy that aims to provide psychological tools to patients who are going through a stage of grief, so that they can cope with this process in a healthy way. Grief is a situation that can lead an individual to an existential crisis, so it is not easy to overcome it.

Grief Intervention Courses

The complexity of this situation requires that mental health professionals be properly trained and qualified to carry out their work with maximum guarantees. In this sense, specialization studies in this field become an ideal complement to formal training in clinical and health psychology.

The truth is that there are not many courses designed for this purpose, but, fortunately, it is possible to find quality training actions within this reduced range of training offers. If you are interested in training in this field, in the following lines you can find the best courses on bereavement, which will allow you to introduce yourself and go deeper into this speciality .

1. Online Course on Grief Intervention (FMLC)

  • Educational center: Mario Losantos del Campo Foundation
  • Location: online

This complete online course aimed at psychologists and socio-health professionals in general is organized by the Mario Losantos del Campo Foundation, and has some 125 teaching hours .

In it, you learn to use strategies to promote effective coping and resilience in the face of loss, both in adults and children, and in individual or group therapy.

2. Course of psychological intervention for support and grief therapy (Labyrinth Group)

  • Educational center: Grupo Laberinto
  • Location: Madrid

In Madrid it is also possible to train in grief therapy thanks to the “Course of psychological intervention for support and grief therapy” given by the Laberinto Group. This is an introductory training in this type of psychotherapy, and lasts two days.

The aim is for participants to be initiated in the psychological treatment of grieving patients and to understand the protocol of action in these situations. This is possible because, throughout the two days, the participants analyze the necessary therapeutic skills thanks to the presentation of practical cases. In this way, they can also detect their mistakes and the aspects that need to be improved.

3. Coping with loss: the mourning (COP Madrid)

  • Educational center: Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid
  • Location: Madrid

The Official College of Psychologists of Madrid offers a course designed for all health professionals who intend to train in bereavement intervention. It is given in the form of an intervention workshop, in which students can develop practical competence and skills that enable them to carry out interventions with individuals who are going through this very difficult stage of their lives.

This program lasts 10 sessions, bringing grief therapy closer to psychologists who want to know more about the characteristics of complicated grief and want to learn how to differentiate complicated grief from normal grief. Likewise, participants can learn essential techniques and skills in this type of intervention, from an orientation resulting from the combination of Western (Gestalt, cognitive-behavioral, humanistic, etc.) and Eastern practices (for example, meditation).

4. Grief, Loss and Trauma Intervention Course (IPIR)

  • Educational center: IPIR Institute
  • Location: Various

Those psychologists or health professionals who wish to train in grief therapy can do so at the IPIR Institute. The “Course of Intervention in Grief, Loss and Trauma” of this centre is a very useful training action, because it allows the acquisition of tools for the diagnosis, prevention and effective treatment in this type of psychotherapy.

This training has been designed for those professionals who work directly with individuals who have suffered major losses in their lives, to cover the essentials of these in their professional work and to improve the quality of life of patients. This program is divided into three levels, and the courses are given in different cities in Spain.

5. Course in Grief Intervention (IFIS)

  • Educational centre: Institute for Training and Social Intervention
  • Location: Madrid

Another training in mourning that is carried out in Madrid is the one given by the Institute for Training and Social Intervention (IFIS) . This is a summer course, which offers both theoretical and practical knowledge with a solid scientific basis.

Students learn about the different types of grief and their relationship to death, know the phases of grief, what grief intervention is, and delve into the relationship between this process and the immune system. It is aimed at professionals from different areas of care for people in mourning. For example, psychologists, social services or emergencies.